An agricultural row crop planter is a machine built for precisely distributing seed into the ground. The row crop planter generally includes a horizontal tool bar fixed to a hitch assembly for towing behind a tractor. Row units are mounted to the tool bar. In different configurations, seed may be stored at individual hoppers on each row unit, or it may be maintained in a central hopper and delivered to the row units on an as needed basis. The row units include ground-working tools for opening and closing a seed furrow, and a seed metering system for distributing seed to the seed furrow.
In its most basic form, the seed meter includes a housing and a seed disc. The housing is constructed such that it creates a reservoir to hold a seed pool. The seed disc resides within the housing and rotates about a generally horizontal central axis. As the seed disc rotates, it passes through the seed pool where it picks up individual seeds. The seeds are subsequently dispensed into a seed chute where they drop into the seed furrow.
Agronomics has determined that seeds grow best at certain depths. Therefore, it has been desirable to attempt to form the furrows with a bottom at this depth in order to position the seed thereat to give the best chance at higher yields. This has been done with disk openers, gage wheels, depth adjustment systems, and combinations thereof. However, due to the ever-changing conditions, makeup, obstructions, and/or soil characteristics, the control of the depth is often inaccurate. This causes seeds to be planted at various depths, which can affect how the crops grow.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a furrow or trench opener for creating and maintaining a furrow of a desired and continuous depth. There is also a need for a system to continuously monitor and control the depth of a created furrow.